Global Problem, Unique Solution

Poor nutrition causes nearly half (45%) of deaths in children under five - 3.1 million children each year.

66 million primary school-age children attend classes hungry, with 23 million in Africa alone.

With millions of children dying each year from causes related to malnutrition, it is apparent that existing humanitarian efforts are not adequate to address this pressing global problem.

The Solution

The Nourish the Children initiative is Nu Skin’s solution to provide a consistent supply of nourishing food to the world’s most needy children. It enables Nu Skin's sales leaders and customers to contribute to a critical humanitarian need on an ongoing basis. By applying business principles and making the purchase of VitaMeal commissionable, it yields a program that is more likely to be sustainable. Many relief efforts are provided on a one-off basis or through limited-time contracts, while the Nourish the Children initiative has provided a framework to maintain a consistent level of food on a sustainable basis since 2002.

Humanitarian Innovation

How Nourish the Children Works

STEP 1

Highly nutritious VitaMeal is produced in contracted facilities in Malawi, China and the United States.

While the VitaMeal itself is very important in impacting the lives of children, the donations go beyond just the meal to impact the lives of many others. These meal donations create opportunities to improve lives through education, jobs and teaching self-sufficiency.

Drawing Children to School

VitaMeal donations are generally distributed through school programmes because parents living in poverty will often send their children to school for a free meal, rather than keep them home to work. This is especially true of girls: the World Bank has recognised that “there is no investment more effective for achieving development goals than educating girls.”

Ensuring a Consistent Flow of Donations

As a social business initiative, Nourish the Children® facilitates consistent and increasing food donations by offering an incentive to buy, donate and promote VitaMeal. This commission is included in the price of the food and allows distributors to invest their time and resources to encourage others to join the cause against malnutrition. Your VitaMeal donation is increased with a corporate match programme from Nu Skin®.

Some of the proceeds from VitaMeal purchases are donated to the Nu Skin Force for Good Foundation® to fund agricultural education at Mtalimanja Village in Malawi. Increased farm production could someday alleviate the need for food assistance in Malawi.

In 2007, just five years after the programme’s inception, Nu Skin® distributors, customers and employees reached the amazing milestone of having purchased and donated 100 MILLION MEALS. By August 2018 600 million meals were donated and distributed. What a fantastic achievement!

"The driving force behind Nu Skin has always been, and will always be, improving people’s lives. This is the Nu Skin culture, and it is evident in everything we do, everything we are, and everything we strive to become.”

Steven J. Lund, Nu Skin Executive Chairman of the Board, Executive Director of Nourish the Children